Catching the 501st at the Rose Parade this morning reminded me of a story I came across while researching the Kermit Eller costumed Vader story we posted last April. Among Lucasfilm's research files were a string of articles dating from 1980 which followed the exploits of one Tom Callahan, Vader costumer from Kentucky and self-proclaimed stuntman for the Dark Lord of the Sith during A New Hope. It seems Mr. Callahan had masqueraded as the man in black across several southern states back in 1980, and possibly earlier, claiming to be part of the original production (which he wasn't). The press, not surprisingly, gobbled up the story without ever checking the facts. I actually found six separate newspaper articles from Louisiana, Georgia, Tennessee, Texas, and Oklahoma, all reporting this guy's "I was Vader's stuntman" story without question. This one didn't even spell "Vader" right in the headline. Jeesh.

No big deal, right? After all, lots of fans used to make costumed appearances on the sly back in the early days. True, but this guy was likely getting paid, and claiming to be someone he wasn't. There was even an article which reported he injured a young girl with his lightsaber at one venue where a police report was taken -- how did this guy get so far without being discovered? The kicker, though, was the handful of photos he had taken of himself in his homespun costume for signing to the kiddies, which even included a metal badge. I dug these out of my collection after finding the articles, glad to finally assign some meaning to their mystery. Gotta love that Kenner toy blaster and Batman cape.

Anyway, hope this brings a smile to everyone's New Year, and maybe some seizure-inducing laughter from the hardcore costumers of the 501st.